Scotland’s highest temperature yet as Motherwell mercury hits 33.2C

The highest temperature ever recorded in Scotland was reached in Motherwell last week at the peak of the ongoing heatwave, according to provisional findings from the Met Office.

The weather service said the mercury in the North Lanarkshire town hit 33.2C last Thursday, although it stressed its findings still had to be verified and may change.

The temperature comfortably beat the previous record of 32.9C, which was set in August 2003 in the village of Greycrook in the Scottish borders.

The Met Office said Scotland and England both experienced their fourth warmest Junes on record, while in Northern Ireland the month was the hottest ever experienced.

It was also the driest June on record in south east and central southern England, with just 6 per cent of expected rainfall across counties like Essex and Dorset, the forecaster said.

Figures published today also show that the warm weather has massively boosted Scotland’s solar energy output, with environmental campaigners hailing a “bumper month”.

WWF Scotland said most households in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth could have relied purely on solar energy to power their electricity and hot water supplies for the whole month.

The prolonged spell of fine weather is set to continue into next week, with the Met Office predicting “hot sunshine” and a decreasing chance of rain showers and thunderstorms.

The dry conditions have led to a surge in people enjoying the nation’s hills and mountains, but Mountaineering Scotland said they should take sensible precautions and carry extra water.

The organisation’s safety adviser Heather Morning said she could not remember upland areas being so dry, with burns “low or non-existent” and lochans “disappearing at an alarming rate”. Visitors to the hills have also been urged to take extra precautions to reduce the risk of wildfire, with national park authorities warning that a stray cigarette could have “devastating” consequences.

Meanwhile, utility companies have been pumping billions of extra litres of water to try and keep pace with demand, which has risen by as much as 30 per cent, Water UK said.

But there is no risk of drought, as above-average rainfall in the spring means water levels are in a healthy position, it added.

There are currently no restrictions in England, but Thames Water says it is funnelling an extra 450 million litres per day as it deals with “record levels” of demand.